Tottenham have signed Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton for £52m, with the Netherlands international centre-back becoming Roberto De Zerbi’s third signing since taking charge at Spurs.
The deal is confirmed by Sky Sports, with Van Hecke arriving having had one year remaining on his Brighton contract. Brighton, for their part, will pocket a handsome return on a player they bought from NAC Breda in 2020 for £1.8m – and they have also negotiated a 20 per cent sell-on clause, so they are not entirely done profiting from this one.
What De Zerbi Is Building
Van Hecke joins Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson – both free transfers – as De Zerbi’s additions to the squad so far. As detailed previously, this window has a clear and deliberate shape to it. The manager has been given full control and the final say on transfers, and he is using it.
The tactical logic is not subtle. According to Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz, Senesi and Van Hecke ranked as the top two players in the Premier League last season for bypassing opponents through passing. De Zerbi is rebuilding Spurs’ defensive foundation around ball progression, and Van Hecke – who played 50 matches under De Zerbi at Brighton between 2023 and 2024 – already knows the system inside out.
Sky Sports’ Michael Bridge frames the signing plainly: this is the player De Zerbi asked for, and the club delivered. That Van Hecke is comfortable under pressure, capable of threading passes through the lines, and already drilled in De Zerbi’s methods makes him a logical fit based on his ball progression and experience under De Zerbi. Whether £52m is the right valuation for a defender with a year left on his deal is a fair question, but the agreement was reached and the club clearly felt it was worth moving quickly.
What It Means for the Existing Centre-Backs
The more interesting subplot is what this means for Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven. Bridge notes that Romero, when fit, is among the best in the world – the caveat being he is fit for roughly half of the time. If a substantial offer arrives for him, Spurs will consider it. The key word being substantial.
The interconnected nature of Spurs and Brighton’s defensive business this summer is worth keeping an eye on. De Zerbi has his ball-playing centre-backs. Now it is a question of who fits around them.
